Dealing With Parenthood
by a mountain of gideon's scones
Summary: When the baby is up all night and you can't get on with your partner, things could go sour. But not when Ron Weasley, king of tact, is there to help Ginny and Harry out.


A screaming baby + a crabby wife + no sleep = Harry Potter was in a very bad mood when he turned up for work the following day. Following the birth of his son, James, three weeks ago, Harry supposed he had had about thirty hours sleep: i.e. practically nothing.

"You alright mate?" Ron asked his best friend and boss.

"Yeah, fine" Harry responded. "Just very very tired."

Ron laughed and said "Thank god we don't have the same problem!"

"Yet, Ron, yet," Harry told him. "Soon, you'll be in the same position, and guess who'll be laughing then! Now, Weasley, GET TO WORK!" he yelled the last bit, unable to help himself.

Ron looked stricken as his best friend talked to him like this, but then again, Harry was the head of the Auror office, and himself only an Auror at the minute, but still…Harry had no right to talk to him like this, not when they were best friends. Then again, he _had_ to allow for the new baby who undoubtedly was taking time of Ginny's and also spending the whole night shrieking. Ron also understood that Harry and Ginny were arguing constantly; just one wrong word to the other caused a whole hullabaloo that only ended when Harry admitted he was wrong.

"Ron, mate," Harry began, realising what he had done and said, "Ron, I'm really sorry, its just James _doesn't_ stop crying and when he _is_ quiet, Ginny and I are always arguing. I just took it out on you."

Ron looked appeased at the sign of an olive branch and decided to apparate over to see Ginny on his break, along with to see his new nephew.

So at 10.30am, Ron stood up and turned on the spot, appearing instantaneously in Harry and Ginny's home. He walked into the living room, where he thought Ginny would be, and right enough, she was there.

"Hey lil sis," Ron began. "How's my baby nephew today?"

"Ron!" Ginny squealed. "How are you? Yes he's fine today; he's always fine when Harry's not here, but when he is… he goes _mental_. I'm with him all day long and Harry has the cheek to say I'm not doing well? He swans off to work or whatever he does and leaves me – he doesn't even come home on his lunch break!"

She gave her big brother a hug, but he was stunned by the animosity in her voice, towards Harry.

"Ginny, you're being too hard on him. He's not eating, he's working so hard so he can be able to take the whole of next month off - it was going to be a surprise for you, but I may just tell him not to bother if you don't really want him," Ron told her.

"Of course I want him Ronald, what makes you say that? He's doing that for us? But he loves his job!" Ginny wondered.

"Because I have been here for all of two minutes and you haven't said a single nice word about him, only his faults. Of course he'd do it for you; he loves you, whenever he talks about you, even when you've been arguing he still looks like a puppy in love. He loves his job, but not as much as you or James, so don't use that against him. And just so you know, he hasn't been coming home at lunch as he's been working extra so that he doesn't have to do overtime, then trying to sleep."

Ginny hugged her brother again and said "thank you Ron, for telling me this. I've been too hard on him; it's just I love him so, so much and I keep thinking he's going to cheat, because I'm so smitten and obsessive over James. I need to show him my love."

Now that they had had their chat, Ron played with baby James, and when he went back to work he relayed the events to Harry, who looked happier than he had done before – Ron attributed that slightly to the sleep he had managed to get.

Harry went home that evening and was reunited with his wife, who was waiting with a smile on his face. Harry played with his son, who didn't cry, and for his final day at work for the time being, had the best day of all, knowing that for the next month he could be daddy, not Mr Potter, Head of Auror Office.


End file.
